Rich Hofmann

DAILY NEWS SPORTS EDITOR

Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest.

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Andy Reid has different words for different audiences, which isn't a big deal or a big shock. But he tends to explain things differently to national reporters (who almost 100 percent of the time end up taking his side) than he does to the great unwashed here in Philadelphia.

And so it is with Kevin Kolb.

You know what he told us: that this was all about Michael Vick and his unexpectedly great play -- that's why Kolb is now on the bench and Vick is the Eagles' starting quarterback. He said all of that stuff to Peter King at Sports Illustrated, too. King initially criticized the switcheroo on Twitter and then ended up lauding Reid's courage in making the decision. But the interesting part was near the end, when Reid talked about Kolb's "psyche," in King's summation.

Reid is quoted as saying, "A young quarterback needs time to mature as he grows in the game. I don't think Kolb has lost one thing. He's a franchise quarterback. He will win games, and championships, for the Eagles. But I think it's a different deal when you go out there and can't make a mistake or you're going to get crucified, which is the way this thing might have gone if he went back in there now.''